Tank-car.



G; N. STEVENS. TANK CAB. APPLIOATIOK I'ILED AUG. '1. 1908.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Inventor: am, fs zsm Witnesses: %A %MM G. N. STEVENS.

TANK GAR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1908.

[930,101. Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

F am

Witnesses: Inventor:

. "UNITED s'ra'rns PATENT oFFIo-E- onssrsa N. STEVENS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TANK-CAR.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHESTER N. ,S'rnvnns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook, in the State of illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tank-Oars; and

1 do hereby declare that the following description of my said invention, taken in con nection with. the accompanying sheets of drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same. i

This invention has general reference to railway tank-cars; and it consists, essentially,

in the novel and peculiar combination of parts, and details of construction, as hereinafter first fully set forth and described, and then pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings already referred to, which serve to illustrate this invention more fully,

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of atank-car fitted with my improvements. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the peculiarly constructed valve employed in this car. Fig. 3 is a plan, and F ig. et-a transverse-sectional elevation .in line a: w of Fig.

3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional elevation in line 3 y of Fig. 2.

Like parts are designated by corresponding symbols and characters of reference in all the figures.

The object of this invention is the production of a tank-car for transporting oil, tar and other liquids, and fluid products which are introduced into the tank 'in any convenient manner, usually through a manhole in the dome of the tank and discharged from the tank through the lower portion of the wall thereof, a valve of peculiar construction especially adapted to this classottanks being provided to govern the-discharge.

as well as diameter, which influence the valve in various manners to preventeflicient' ac- ,tion thereof. To overcomethese drawbacks.

, Specification ot Letters Patent. Applioationfiled August 7,1903. Serial No. 447,456.

Another condition is that Patented Aug. 3, 190a.

I construct this car-tank substantially as follows:

A is the car bo-dy mounted upon trucks and wheels B in the usual andapproved manner,

(J is the tank secured to the car body A. This tank is 'iurnished with a dome "D, having in its head a man-hole and cover E which hermetically closes the tank, and through which, when the cover is removed, access tog the interior of the tank may be had, an open ing F in the uppermost portion of the tank,

shell,.'and within the dome, being provided for this purpose. H I

Diametrically opposite the'dome D and within the tank A thereis located the discharge-valve'G, which valve consists of a transversely-curved plate 2, of oblong contour, which plate is riveted to the inner surface of the tank by means of rivets 3, as

clearly illustrated in F igSJ'Q, 3 and at. Cen-.

trally, this plate has an annular passage 4:, the upper edge of which is outwardly flared to form-a valve-seat, as hereinafter more fully referred to.- Upon the upper surface.

of this plate there is removably provided a U-shaped yoke 5, the lower ends, 6, of which are outwardly turned at right angles to the parallel members 5*, 5 and form flanges whereby the yoke 5, is securely fastened to the plate. The cap-screws? held inposition by-nut-locks, 26, are used to fasten s'aid'yoke 5 in position. Below the plate 2 there is 'located a boss 8,-Which has an enlarged bore 9, which bore is internally screwthreaded for attachment ofQa dischargespout, not shown, braces '10, shown clearly in Fig. 5, being provided to strengthen the plate and at the same time to properly locate the same in the tank and to prevent any possiblerotating motion of the plate, said braces or'ribs being located within slotted apertures 11:, in the lower portion of the tank-shell.

The horizontal member 5"" of the yoke is centrally bored andscrew-threadedfor the reception of the externally-screw-threaded portion 12' of a valve-spindle 1'23, which valve spindle reaches upwardly into the dome D and is provided with a hand-wheel 1%, at its upper end, a bracket, 15, secured to the dome and engaging the valve-spindle 13 near its upper end, forming ,a: guide for said valve spindle at thatend. The lower end of the valve-spindle 13 is reduced in diameter at 16 andishouldered at 17. The extreme end of this reduced portion 16 is formed into a hemisphere 18, an annular groove 19 adjoining the hemisphere. 18 being provided to enable the'valve proper, 20, being movably secured to said spindle 13.

k The valve proper consists of a disk 21, the lower edge of which is beveled to correspond with the bevel in the plate 2, said disk hav-- 111g an upwardly projecting, centrally located, boss 22, which is centrally bored to correspond w th the contour of the reduced -i i-portion of the valve-spindle, except that it is considerably larger than the valve stem portion :16, so that the valve-proper may freely rock-upon said spindle,-- pins 23, transversely passed through the boss and entering the an nular groove 19 in the valve-spindle being used-to connect the valve-stem withith'e valve 7 proper, the upper portion of the internal bore-.24 being tapering so as to allow of the play of the valveproper on the valve-stem p0rt1on 16.. Below the disk 21 there are a number of wings 25 which guide the valve-I proper within the bore of. the plate 2.

It will now be observed that the valvestem 13 is guided at its upper end by the "Ybra'cket 15 in the dome D, which bracket entrance of these hot liquids. ical changes taking place within said tank would cause leakage at the valve thereof, "unless the same was so constructed that these slides freely upon the valve-stem when the valve is closed and the tank being filled, and

thereby attaining an oval cross-section which will bring the upper portion of the tankshell nearer to the lower part of said shelL.

The. screw-threaded portion of the valvestem engaging theyoke at the lower end of said stem and, therefore, in close proximit 3.5

to the valve proper, the latter will not be a fected by this downward movement -of the shell. There is also a continuous change in the length of the tankowing to the changes in the temperature of the atmosphere which may cause variations in the alinement of the valve-spindle, but such variations cannot influence the valve proper owing to its free fit.

on the reduced portion of said valve-spindle and the hemispherical shape of the bearing point of the, spindle and the valve proper.

Attention is now called to the fact that in filling these tanlgs with coal-tar, pitch,

'&0., the temperature of which varies often as much as 400 at the time of entrance, a consequent elongation of said tank, not only in diameter but also in-the length'thereof takes place almost simultaneously with the These physvariations in'the'sizes: of the tank cannot affect the valve; Heretofore and before the Y I introduction of my invention this has been the serious obstacle encountered in the introduction of liquids of widely-varying ten'ipcratures into the tank-car. Attention is further called to the fact that in the transportation of tar or pitch or other liquids. of heavy viscosity these liquids practically form a jointure between the valve and the valveseat of the discharging mechanism.

In discharge valves as heretofore con structed, in attempting to open the-same, ro-

t-ary motion was imparted to the valve disk proper. The jointure formed between the valve and the seat resists this rotary motion and often necessitates the combined strength of several men at the opening-wheel to separate the valve proper from-its seat, and the twisting otfrof a valve-spindle was a common occurrence. By the-use of my invention the valve-disk proper does not necessarily rotate upon the first opening of the same. -The lines of force lie in a direct perpendicular of the plane of the valve-seat,

audit the jointure between the valve and seat by the congealing of tar, pitch or"ot'her substances was suflicient to overcome the bination with a tank, a valve seat formed in the lower portion. of said tank, a valve fitted to'said seat, ahollow boss formed on and I projecting above said valve and having an internal annular groove formed thereon, the

hollow portion of said boss being flared toward the-to avalve stem extending from the top of sald tank and being'rotatably con-- nected to said valve, connection therebetween, comprismg a reduced portlon of said stem which fits said hollow. boss and has an annular groove which registers with. said internal groove and transverse pins, passing through said registering grooves whereby to rotatably connect said stem and valve but permitting'said stem a rocking motion in said fiaringly hollowed boss.

In testimony that 'I claim the foregoing as my invention I havehereunto Set my hand in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

. CHESTER N. STEVENS.

Attest:

WILLIAM I O, STARK, Ame M. DALTON. 

